Left-Hook Lounge Mailbag: Bradley vs Pacquiao “Face-Off”, Why Golovkin Chose Chavez, Not Andre Ward, and Maidana Fight Strategy!!!

Steve N. (Reseda, CA): Bradley vs Pacquiao’s “Face-Off” on HBO seemed very intense. Who did you give the mental edge too (based on what we saw)? And who do you think has more to prove given the way things turned out before?

Vivek W. (ESB): I found this particular episode of “Face-Off” to be easily the most compelling of all. I think the episode gave us a strong indication of the pure mindset hidden deep within the dome of both competitors. I thought it was very raw, very intense, and for lack of better words, very unscripted. One thing for sure, there will be no questions remaining in the end this time around, as neither man seems to be willing to give an inch, yet both appear ready to step forward and forcibly take a yard, so to speak! With a few notes in hand and a mind full of contrasting thoughts, my best analysis on what we witnessed would go a little something like this:

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Khan vs Collazo on Mayweather/Maidana Undercard

An explosive matchup of two world-class fighters is coming to the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Saturday, May 3, when British superstar and former Unified Super Lightweight World Champion Amir “King” Khan faces Brooklyn native and WBA International Welterweight Champion Luis Collazo in the 12-round welterweight co-main event of “THE MOMENT: Floyd Mayweather vs. Marcos Maidana” on SHOWTIME PPV.

A media conference call featuring both fighters is scheduled for Wednesday, March 26 at

3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT. Additional details to follow this announcement.

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Stiverne vs. Arreola, May 10th, live on ESPN

Sherman Oaks, California (March 24, 2014) “FIGHT FOR PEACE” the highly anticipated World Boxing Council Heavyweight Championship of the World and rematch between top-rated world contenders, Bermane “B. Ware” Stiverne and Chris “The Nightmare” Arreola will take place on SATURDAY, MAY 10 from the USC Galen Center in Downtown Los Angeles and telecast LIVE on ESPN and ESPN Deportes and presented by Corona Extra.

Hall of Fame Promoter Don King of Don King Productions and Dan Goossen of Goossen Tutor Promotions made the announcement jointly today.

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Timothy Bradley Is Convinced That Pacquiao’s Fire Is Gone, Forever

In a recent sit-down for Face-Off with Max Kellerman, Timothy Bradly had more to say to Pacquiao, than Manny to Max or Timothy.

Quiet and humble Pacquiao was a man of few words, being humble and respectful of his opponent. He made no promises or threats, letting Bradley do all the talking.

After Kellerman asked Manny if the fire is still there, and whether he is capable of bringing back the old Pacquiao, Manny replied he thinks that indeed he can, and that he will pray to god to for the strength needed to prove to his naysayers that he is still a force to be reckoned with.

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Deontay Wilder sees himself stopping Arreola and Stiverne early

WBC mandatory challenger Deontay Wilder (31-0, 31 KO’s) can’t wait to get his chance at fighting the winner of the May 10th fight between Chris Arreola (36-3, 31 KO’s) and Bermane Stiverne (23-1-1, 20 KO’s). Deontay will be fighting the winner of that fight later on this year, and he doesn’t see either of them as having the size and/or the talent to make it out of the early rounds against him.

Surprisingly, the 6’7” Deontay sees the 6’1” Stiverne as being the easier fight for him due to Stiverne’s habit of staying on the outside and using his jab. Deontay feels he could bomb Stiverne out of there from long range and make easy work of him.

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Pacquiao to Bradley: My time isn’t finished yet

Watching last night’s Manny Pacquiao vs. Tim Bradley face off with Max Kellerman was like two guys in a playground with one guy saying he’s better than the other and the other saying no he’s not. It seemed kind of pointless after a while. Kellerman needs to do a better job of coming up with questions because the whole thing comes across like Kellerman’s an employer interviewing two job applicants. ‘Tell me why I should hire you,’ type of thing. It’s like where an employer interviews two people at once and it’s embarrassing and more than little degrading for the guys being interviewed.

“My time is not finished yet,” Pacquiao said in response to Bradley claiming that he doesn’t have the hunger he once had. “I can say that. They [the fans] should watch the fight to get rid of all the question marks in their minds. This will answer all the questions from the past.”

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Juan Manuel Marquez vs. Mike Alvarado a done deal for May 17th

The WBO welterweight eliminator bout between former four division world champion Juan Manuel Marquez (55-7-1, 40 KO’s) and former WBO light welterweight champion Mike Alvarado (34-2, 23 KO’s) is a done deal for May 17th in a Top Rank promoted fight that will be televised by HBO from the Forum, in Inglewood, California, USA.

It’s kind of an unusual eliminator bout in that both fighters are coming off of losses. Normally, eliminator bouts involved two fighters who are coming into the fights with winning streaks and are fighting at a high level, but not in this case.

Marquez was beaten in his last fight by Bradley last October by a 12 round split decision, whereas Alvarado was stopped in the 10th round by Mike Alvarado last October.

Alvarado has lost 2 out of his last 3 fights. With that many losses in his last three fights, Alvarado really shouldn’t be considered for the fight.

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Trainer Joe Goossen examines Vanes Martirosyan’s performance on FNF

Last night at the Morongo Resort and Casino in Cabazon, California, Junior Middleweight contender Vanes Martirosyan (34-1-1, 21 KOs) took home the WBO Intercontinental title after winning a wide unanimous decision over tough fringe contender Mario Lozano (28-5, 22 KOs).

After ten rounds of action dominated by the speed and accurate punching of the Armenian born fighter, the judges rendered three shut-out score cards that read 100-90 across the board.

Despite the seemingly effortless performance against the hard punching and granite chinned Mexican fighter, veteran trainer Joe Goossen assessed his new pupil’s first fight competing under the Goossen Tutor promotional banner, which was broadcast in the main event of ESPN’s “Friday Night Fights”.

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Tony Thompson defeats Odlanier Solis

Tony Thompson (38-4, 16 KO’s) may have finished off the disappointing pro career of Cuban Odlanier Solis (20-2, 13 KO’s) tonight in beating him by a 12 round split decision in Tekirdag, Turkey. Solis was badly outworked in all 12 rounds of the fight. One judge had Solis winning by the score 116-112, but that a laughable score because Solis didn’t deserve to win one round.The other two judges scored it 115-114, 115-113 for Thompson. Even those scores were way of touch with what actually happened in the ring.

Thompson was throwing most of the shots while Solis just covered up and took them. At best, Solis landed 8-10 punches per round, and that was during his best rounds. Thompson was nailing him with everything but the kitchen sink. Solis held gloves up in front of his face to block a lot of the shots, but there were so many punches thrown by Thompson that tons of them go through Solis’ gloves to connect with his face.

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Video: Face Off With Max Kellerman: Pacquiao/Bradley 2

March 22, 2014 – Fight fans eager for a unique inside look at the highly anticipated April 12th HBO Pay-Per-View® world welterweight championship rematch between undefeated 147-pound title-holder Timothy Bradley Jr. and the world renowned Filipino sensation Manny Pacquiao should mark their calendars to catch an all-new edition of “Face Off,” starring the two prizefighters. “Face Off With Max Kellerman: Pacquiao/Bradley 2” debuts tonight at 11:45 p.m. (ET/PT) on HBO.

Moderated by Max Kellerman, “Face Off” is an insightful and often gripping interview session in which the two fighters square off and answer Kellerman’s questions. The fighters also get the chance to address each other and their fans in this engaging format.

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